[1982-04-18-AWA-St. Paul, MN] High Flyers vs Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey (Cage Match)

[Superstar Sleeze]

AWA World Tag Team Champions High Flyers vs Crusher Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey - AWA 4/18/82 Steel Cage Match

 

This was shot from a handheld below the ring really close to the cage and gave a really cool, unique view. Within a minute, you think all 400 lbs of Crusher Blackwell is coming through your video screen only to meet a hard stop at the hands of the steel cage. All the work is really tight. They were not working stiff, but everything was landing. I love hearing a woman from the crowd scream "You pussy, Sheik!" Brunzell was great fighting during his shine and then taking a beating at the hands of the Sheik and Blackwell, the top two heels besides Bockwinkel in the AWA. The camera cuts and we don't see how Greg gets tag. Greg is ramming Blackwell hard into the cage repeatedly and I have no clue he did not knock the wall. Blackwell was throwing himself into that hard. Sheik is exasperated and at the last second moves and Greg runs into the turnbuckles. I am really digging the camera angle. The presentation is so gritty. Blackwell fucking throws Greg into that cage and the camera is right underneath to catch it. This is blowing the East-West Connection cage match outta the water. Greg is taking some crazy bumps. This is some great violence. Brunzell is a great house of fire. You can see it etched on his face how incensed he is. He rakes Sheik's face across the cage and drives Blackwell's head back into the cage repeatedly. Sheik escapes some leg work and Blackwell immediately tries to put the match away with a HUGE splash off the top rope. He then takes a MASSIVE bump over the top turnbuckle. Excellent double dropkick for the win!

 

After the matches, the heels try to railroad the Greg Gagne in the cage while Brunzell had left early, but Daddy Verne makes the save and kicks some Sheiks ass to a huge ovation. Verne was rocking it. Verne & Old Timers vs the Sheiks was a huge feud at this time. The Sheik & Blackwell felt like a huge, hot act. This was a molten match. It had a big cage match feel with each time look to dish out some serious punishment. The Sheiks took advantages of some High Flyers' mistakes and kicked their ass, but could not hold them down. When the babyfaces were on top, they were firing on all cylinders with a ton of energy and always looking to drive the Sheiks into the cage. The Sheiks were not shy about bumping. One of the best tag team cage matches ever! ****1/2

[Smack2k]

Watched this for the first time in a LONG time last night.

 

Those cage shots were incredible, all 4 of them took the cage hard, but man, Greg Gagne just gets tossed hard into that cage and takes a hard bump each time afterward. You nailed the match perfectly, so I wont do that but some thoughts from me:

 

Blackwell's bump near the end over the turnbuckle into the cage and then down to the floor was nasty and amazing to see for such a big dude.

 

Watching Verne jump in and go nuts on the Sheik and try to get at Blackwell for attacking Greg two on one was pretty cool to see and the crowd ate it up BIG time.

 

Blackwell and Sheik were a GREAT heel team and they were HATED by that crowd.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed it, but wouldnt go as high as you, I'd say ***1/2 myself.

[tcg91]

Good stuff, but it was heavily clipped. To me, tag matches in the cage work only without escaping the structure and if the tag rules are respected, these are the main reasons the match delivered. Blackwell is a guy that I never really got much exposed to, but he rules in this environment with his power moves and dominating the champions in the heels' corner. It was smart to let Brunzell sell for most of the match, Gagne was fine in the final comeback and the crowd loved the clean finish too. Can't go higher due to the savage clipping
***